That doesn't mean Obama, national health care or the war in Afghanistan weren't on the delegates' minds. But the focus had more to do on Perry's decade in office and their hope that former Houston Mayor Bill White can pull off an upset in November.

"They (Republicans) want this convention to be about Obama and Pelosi," said James Aldrete, a Democratic consultant from Austin. "We believe it should be about Rick Perry and his 10-year record."

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said federal issues such as foreign policy and support for health care reform will be in the party's platform to be voted on today

"Nobody's running away from that," Coleman said. "But we're talking about the leadership of this state, and that's what this election is about."

State Rep. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, said the party in the past has "had a lack of belief that we can win."

He said the convention will be a chance to excite party activists by telling them how important it is to make improvements in the public education system that he does not believe would occur under Perry.

Perry truck drive-by

Perry's spokesman, Mark Miner, repeatedly passed by the convention in a white pickup truck with a sign in the window raising questions about White's investments.

Miner said Perry has made education "a priority." Miner said the Democrats are trying to avoid a national political agenda that has made many Americans angry, pointing to national health care and global warming legislation.

"They're clearly running from their true beliefs," Miner said. "Bill White and the Democratic Party are on the wrong side of the majority of policy issues important to the people of Texas."

Political funk

Obama is unquestionably mired in a bit of a political funk at the moment. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll indicates that 45 percent of voters approve of his job performance, with 48 percent disapproving.

He's struggled to get a handle on a persistently sluggish economy and a catastrophic British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and most political prognosticators anticipate substantial Republican gains in this year's Congressional elections.

But some Obama backers at the convention said their faith hasn't been shaken.

"We are still incredibly supportive of the president," said Yvonne Armstrong, an East Side activist who is attending the convention as a volunteer for Lt. Gov. candidate Linda Chavez-Thompson.